If you smoke and live in a home with high radon levels, you increase your risk of developing lung cancer. Having your home tested is the only effective way to determine whether you and your family are at risk of high radon exposure.
Radon is a radioactive gas that forms naturally when uranium, thorium, or radium, which are radioactive metals break down in rocks, soil and groundwater. People can be exposed to radon primarily from breathing radon in air that comes through cracks and gaps in buildings and homes. Because radon comes naturally from the earth, people are always exposed to it. The U. When you breathe in radon, radioactive particles from radon gas can get trapped in your lungs.
Over time, these radioactive particles increase the risk of lung cancer. The half-life of radon is 3. This means that — irrespective of the radon concentration level — half of the amount of radon has decayed into its decay products within four days.
Short-lived radon decay products are isotopes of polonium, bismuth, and lead. These are also radioactive and have a very short half-life. Their nuclei decay within only a few minutes, emitting alpha radiation that may damage human tissue. The radioactive radon decay products accumulate in aerosols very fine particles in the air , which are inhaled.
When the radon decay products decay in the lung, they emanate radiation. This radiation can damage cells in the lung tissue, thus causing lung cancer.
Via pores, gaps and cracks, radon is released from the ground and rocks — and also gets into buildings. There, radon accumulates indoors. Order a report. Radon measurement pack Find out the yearly average radon level for a property and if it is above or below the Action Level.
Order a domestic pack Order a workplace pack. Your questions answered Find helpful and informative answers to your questions. Everything you need to know about radon Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas formed by the radioactive decay of the small amounts of uranium that occur naturally in all rocks and soils.
Radon information. Why is it a risk to our health? Where is radon found? What is a low level? What is radioactivity and radiation? Our exposure to radiation We are all exposed to radiation from natural and man-made sources. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces.
Radon gas becomes trapped indoors after it enters buildings through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Indoor radon can be controlled and managed with proven, cost-effective techniques. Breathing radon over time increases your risk of lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
Nationally, the EPA estimates that about 21, people die each year from radon-related lung cancer. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths.
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